HIV Exposure in Utero and Metabolic Disease Risk in HIV-Negative Young Adults

Globally, over 1 million babies are born to mothers with HIV each year. With the advent of prenatal antiretroviral therapy, up to 98% of these individuals may be HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU). A growing literature suggests that in utero HIV exposure - even in the absence of subsequent infection - may be associated with adverse health outcomes in infancy and childhood. However, there is little information about the long-term health implications of in utero HIV exposure later in life, such as into adulthood. In this study, for the first time, we seek to prospectively evaluate metabolic and immune indices among HEU young adults as compared to well-matched HIV-unexposed uninfected controls. This study serves as a necessary first step toward optimizing clinical care for this expanding and aging HEU population, including the implementation of novel screening and prevention strategies.